Tiglin's homeless café the Lighthouse is a "living room for those in need of one"

RTE radio interview and feature published on 29th of March, 2024

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Mr Bobinac came to Ireland from Croatia with his twin brother in 2015. They were homeless at the time, and he says he came into contact with Tiglin as a service user.

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Tiglin helped the pair get housing and education and now both brothers work for the charity.

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Mr Bobinac has made some changes to Tiglin since becoming a manager. Now people who use the services can get a haircut, listen to live music and join movie nights.

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"We use the line 'it's a living room for those in need'," Mr Bobinac said.

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"Everyone needs a place to relax. Everything is about integration."

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"So how do you get people who are sleeping on the street to being productive members of society? And that's a long process in itself, but this is how it starts," he said.

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'Living day-to-day'

‍"I'm living day-to-day between places like this," said Gavin, who has been homeless for 21 years. Gavin said he moves between day centres and homeless shelters.

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He said he hopes that someday he will get a place to call his own.

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"But the way things are going ... it just doesn't look well, does it?"

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Kieran, 20, has been homeless for over a year, but he said he is determined to go to rehab, get clean and go back to his family.

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"I've lost my family to addictions. I need them back," he said.

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"Last year, me being homeless, I've seen a lot of things that I don't want to see again," he said.

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Kieran hopes to work for a homeless charity once he is back on his feet.

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"That's my goal because I got a lot of help," he said.

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Daniel has been homeless since he was 18. He is now 26. He thinks that he will get a home in "about 10 years or so".

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"That's how long the waiting list is," he said.

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Another person said: "It’s [Tiglin] a great place to go and there should be more like it.

"You can look around. Everyone is welcome. They are from all parts of the world."

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Asylum seekers also come to Tiglin for meals. One asylum seeker from Uganda said he has been in Ireland for two months and is still waiting on accommodation.

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In the meantime, the man is using day centres like Tiglin to get his meals.

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"We really appreciate what they do for us," he said.

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